Driving mechanism.



F. C.BRTON. DRIVING MECHANISM. APPLICATION man APR. n. 1912.

Li 3., Patentred'Sept. 28, 1915.

l Hfs' TTQNEY.

' rianpnirroir c. BARTON, or sCHnNnCTADY, NEW YORK, AssIGNoRTo GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, ii CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

:DRIVING MECHAN ISM.

Application filed April 11i, 1912. Serial No. 690,104, i

To all whom t may concern Y Be it known that L FREDERICK C. BARTON,

.'a subject of the King of`jGreat Britain, re-

'certain new and iflseful improvements in,

Driving Mechanism, of which'the following isl a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in driving' mechanism, and refers more vspecifically to driving mechanism mitting rotary motion.- I

The invention Ais particularly adapted to be employed inconnection with a tractor vwheel geared directly to a motor, the motor and wheel having -a single mounting, althoughv .it isievident that this is--- only one of 'many applications of the invention.

rihe objectsof my invention are to improve and simplify the construction of such mechanism, and also to reduce the minimum 4dat which the"driven element, as for ntly rotated. y 'li/ty invention `consists inconnecting a circuar rack which is rigidly fixed to the tractor. wheel tothe driving motor by a' .combina-tion of. gearing` in such a manner that la very material .reduction in the eflicientn'iinimum speed of the tractor wheel is e'ected, anc'bfurthermore, the mechanismY isxsimplied 'and-.improved by employing ,only onerircular rack, simultaneously driven` ati two 'diametrically opposite points. Forfafurther understgmdingv of m5 invention, reference is to be had tothe accompanyingdrawings, in which- 1F igure 1 is a sectional end' elevation taken `on the line m-fc of Fig. 2, and showing a tractorwheel embodying the novel features of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a frontj elevation of ysuch avwheel, a part being broken away, and 'a part shown in section.4

y 1n the drawings, I have shown an electric motor having a frame 1, a revolving arma,a

' ture 3` and field coilsi.A The armature 3 is mounted ona shaft 5 which is continubusl and extends in bothy directions -bevond -the frame of thevmotor and is provided at each of its ends with a gear 6. The motor is -arranged to drive a rotatable rim 9, provided with a. circular rack 14 having a single series of teeth which [side of .the rim, through two similarsets "an stradine', rn

Specification of Letters Patent.

Gand 12 are preferably bevel gears the bevel 60 thex internal diameter of the rack 14.

. for transy integral withl the frame wie, the 'tractor wheel, may be vef-l vloosely mounted on their sh'aft.,

ti on inconnection with tractor wheel, it is are shown on the inner @Firm Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

sets of gears preferably comprise stub shafts having mounted thereon pinions 13 Ywhich engage with the circular rack 14: and gears 12 which mesh with the'gears 6. The gears gears .12 beingfacedoppositely. The armature-shaft 5 extends in a direction parallel to the plane of the rim and is shorter than The frame 1 ofthe motor is shown as 65 being rigidly vsecured to an axle 2 and is provided with extensions 7 which form bearings for the hub 8 of a. wheel. The wheel comprises the rim 9 secured vtothe hub by circular plates 10, which latter may serve- V also to `inclose the working parts of thet driving mechanism.v A tire 15 maybe secured, Vif desired, to the outer surface f the rim in .any well known manner.

Supporting brackets 11, preferablymade lof the motor, provide at their ends supports for the stuby shafts. Preferably the'upper gears 12- and 13, shownin Fig. 2, lare ,rigidly secured to v their shaft, while the' lower gears 12and 13 80 are rigidly fixed lto one another and are The yoperation of my device is as follows: The rotation of the armature will tran'S- z mit tothe pinions 18 through the shaft 5,. 85 the gears 6 and the gears'12 -an effective driving force in the same direction, and thus these pinions willdrive the rack 14 and accordinglythe wheel. It will thus be seen that' I transmit the motion of the motor 90 'y to the wheelby a`..combinati on of bevel and spur. gearingwhicli results in a reduction in the efficient mi'iiinum speedaatwhich the wheel maybe driven. By employing this' combination of bevel and spurtgear drive,I l also simplify the mechanism'fheretofore used, since f1 am thereby enabled to simulta-y neously drive va single circular rack at two points. A ,l :J

Although I'have illustrated'my inven- 100 obvious that the same is inno sense limited to this particular application Ido not: Wish, therefore,to be limited to the details of construction shown and described herein', Y except to the extent that the same are made the subject of specific-claims'.

What 1 claim as new`l and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the lUnited States, isi

v. fhg, 1. The combination with a circular it* havingl a single series of teeth, of a continuous shaft, said shaft being shorter than the internaly diameter of said rack, a motor for driving said shaft near its center, and similar gearing at each end of said shaft and in operative relation therewith for f simultal neouslydriving said series of teeth.

f iiner surface, said rack having a single series of teeth, a motor, a continuous'shaft extendingparallel to the plane of Said rim adapted to be driven by said motor and being shorter than the internal diameter of said rack, and similar gearing operatively connecting each end of the shaft With said series of teeth. l

In a Wheel drive for tractors, a Wheel, a circular' rack rigidly secured to said Wheel,

said rack having a single series of teeth, a motor having a continuous shaft extendmg parallel to the .plane of said Wheel, said shaft being shorter than the internal diameter of said rack, and similar gearing for driving said Wheel by said motor at tivo diametrically opposite points of said series of teeth.

5. A rotatable rim, a circular rack secured of teeth, a continuous shaft extending parv allel to the plane of said rim and being shorter than the internal diameter of said rack, a motor for driving Said shaft near its center, similar beveled gearing in operative relation with each end of said shaft, and pinions meshing with said rack at approxi mately opposite points and each operatively connected to one of said beveled gearings.

G. A rotatable rim, a circular rack secured to the rim, stub shafts at opposite sides of the rack, a gear on each of said stub shafts engaging said rack, another gear on each of said stub shafts, a continuous shaft extending parallel to the plane of the rim and being shorter ithan the internal diameter of said rack, said last mentioned shaft having gears at each end thereof meshing With said last mentioned gears at opposite sides of said continuous shaft, and a motor for driving said shaft near its center.

7. A rotatable rim, a circular rack semounted upon said stub shafts, one of saidV last mentioned beveled gears meshing With one of said first mentioned lbeveled gears on one side of said continuous shaft, the other of said last mentioned beveled gears meshing with the other ofsaid irst mentioned beveled gears on the other side of said continuous shaft, and pinions on said stub shafts meshing With said rack.

S. A rotatable rim having a circular rack, a rotatable shaft extending parallel to the plane of said rim, a bevel gear secured to` one end 4of said Shaft, a motor for driving said shaft, a stub shaft, a bracket secured to the frame of said motor and forming a support for said stub shaft', a bevel gear mounted on said stub shaft and meshing with said first mentioned bevel gear, and a pinion mounted on said stub shaft and operatively connected to said last mentioned bevel gear and meshing with said rack.

9. A Wheel, a motor, extensions on th'e frame of said motor/forming bearings for said Wheel, a. rotatable shaft driven near its central portion by said motor, bevel gears secured to each end of the shaft, two stub shafts, brackets on the motor frame forining supports for said stub shafts, bevel gears meshing ivith said first mentioned bevel gears and mountedon each stub shaft, a pinion mounted on each stub shaft and operatively connected to said last mentioned bevel gears, and a circular rack secured to said wheel and in operative relation with said pinions. l

10. A. vehicle Wheel, a circular. rack secured' thereto, pinions meshing with said rack, a motor provided with a shaft extending from both sides of the rotor of the motor and being shorter than the internal diameter 'of said rack, a single mounting whereby the Wheel and motor are held in fixed relation to each other, and similar speed reducing gearing at each end of said shaft and operativelyJ connected to Said pin-y ion meshing with said rack.

In witness i'vhereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of April, 1912.

FREDERICK C. BARTON.

lVitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN ORroRD.

` Copies o; :fs patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. Q. 

